Camper survives accidental shooting in the head

Bullet exits after circling man's skull.

A recreational outing went awry on Saturday night when one man ended up being accidentally shot by his friend at their Badger Lake campsite in the Mount Hood National Forest.

Hood River County Sergeant/Detective Gerry Tiffany said Brady Logan, 21, of Durham was treated at a hospital in The Dalles after having his head creased by a .22 caliber bullet that went under the skin behind his right ear and traveled to the left side of his scalp before exiting. He required stitches to close the wound but there was no major damage to his cranium.

According to Tiffany, the near fatal shot came from a loaded rifle that John Thomas, 23, of Tualatin, had slung over his shoulder as he walked away from the camp fire. Both men admitted that they, and the eight other men at the scene, had been drinking since their arrival at the campground on Thursday night.

"Alcohol and guns are like alcohol and cars -- you don't drink and drive and you don't play around with guns when you've been drinking," said Tiffany.

After Logan was shot he remained conscious and his friends wrapped his head to control the bleeding. They tried to use a cell phone to call for help but the signal wouldn't travel beyond the rugged terrain. So, several members of the group loaded Logan into a vehicle to transport him for medical attention. They tried the cell phone repeatedly during the journey and finally reached high enough ground to connect with Wasco County 9-1-1.

An ambulance was dispatched to meet the party and Logan was taken to The Dalles where the wound was cleaned and repaired. The Hood River County Sheriff's Department, which had jurisdiction over the area, was then called to investigate the incident.

Tiffany said all of the men at the scene had firearms and Thomas admitted that he had purchased his gun only the week before and was unfamiliar with its operation. He will most likely not be criminally charged for the accident, according to Hood River District Attorney John Sewell.